HCBS Workforce Recruitment and Retention

The pandemic has exacerbated challenges in meeting consumer demand for home and community-based services (HCBS) due to workforce shortages. To help meet these challenges, the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) is dedicating approximately $57 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (APRA) to increase compensation to direct service workers in our home and community-based workforce.
The goals of this program are to:
- Increase our ability to meet Medicaid consumer needs for HCBS services
- Increase the number of HCBS direct care workers and licensed health professionals actively providing frontline services
- Improve retention rates for HCBS staff
- Reduce vacancy rates for HCBS staff